Stores fight loitering with music

SACRAMENTO, Dec. 19 (UPI) -- A court in Sacramento, Calif., has instructed two mini-marts to play classical music to deter loitering, drug dealing and panhandling.

The Sacramento Superior Court, in two separate cases, told the businesses, which were identified by police as trouble spots, to play classical music audible for 25 feet around the store, the Sacramento Bee reported Wednesday.

Police and city officials said playing classical music has been known to discourage loitering.

Onkar Singh, an employee of World Wines & Liquors, said the tactic has been successful for the store.

"When we see someone sitting in the front or back, we turn it up," he said. "They go away."

However, critics have said the program is disrespectful to classical music as an art form.

"I think it's a coercive act and it makes a mockery of our idea of classical music as a great cultural tradition," said Robert Fink, a University of California, Los Angeles, associate professor of musicology. "It would be like reading 'to be or not to be' through a bull horn."

United Press International is a leading provider of news, photos and information to millions of readers around the globe via UPI.com and its licensing services.

With a history of reliable reporting dating back to 1907, today's UPI is a credible source for the most important stories of the day, continually updated - a one-stop site for U.S. and world news, as well as entertainment, trends, science, health and stunning photography. UPI also provides insightful reports on key topics of geopolitical importance, including energy and security.

A Spanish version of the site reaches millions of readers in Latin America and beyond.

UPI was founded in 1907 by E.W. Scripps as the United Press (UP). It became known as UPI after a merger with the International News Service in 1958, which was founded in 1909 by William Randolph Hearst. Today, UPI is owned by News World Communications.